"Taller than me? Hair? Skin color?"

He stops at a little box. "Jeeves, stop anyone from leaving for a couple minutes if they're wearing blue."

"...Why? Thief? There's plenty of other ways out you know."

"Not a thief. I'll explain later, please just do it."

"Whatever you say, boss."

"Maybe little taller. Hat. Was bad light did not see much skin."

"Well, let's go look."

This guy has enough authority around here to ask weird questions and get puzzled but immediate answers. They talk to one guy wearing blue and with a hat but he's not the guy when Pen gets a good look at him.

After about ten minutes, "I don't think I'm going to find him. Sorry, kid."

"Rats."

"So we went looking right away because he's important to this but now that it's pretty clear we're not going to find him is there anything else you know about, um, Milliways? Other ways it breaks?"

"Milliways doesn't breaking usually!"

"Most things don't break usually. It's my job to make sure of that and fix things when they do break, you see. But I don't know anything about how Milliways works so I can't try and figure out if it's maybe different than the guy before you making the door wrong, if there's anything else you can try."

If that's even how the door really works.

"Dunno what else could be."

"If you're sure... How did you get to this Milliways?"

"Door from home."

"And how do you get that door?"

"It just happen. Milliways sometimes happen to doors."

"Well, zero for two ways to help you." He sighs. "...Could you explain that comment about ones of people?"

"My mommy and daddy at home, but, other worlds sometimes have more of them, other people too. But not here, checked first thing."

"More of them in other places in what sense? Other worlds. Other planets? ...Do you know anything about star gates?"

"Not planets, worlds, is different. What is star gates?"

"We have come to the point where I have to decide if you are somehow very deluded or playing an elaborate joke, or are in fact from somewhere completely different. Since acting like the first thing doesn't help I'll try to make myself think the second thing and believe you. Star gates are old devices that let you move incredibly vast distances in a single step. There used to be one on this planet, but it broke and nobody can visit or leave anymore."

"Oh. We not using those, just teleport instead. I can't though, having almost no magic."

"You probably need food, a place to sleep, other things, yes? That means money. I could probably help with that if you have nowhere else to get it... What magic do you have?"

"Don't need need food but rather having. Have brainphone, and wards."

"To ward means to delay or prevent. That's defenses and protections? And, brain what?"

[Brainphone.]

[Fascinating.] "You know what, I can take the rest of the day off for this. Nothing's leaking or on fire and there's only an hour left in the official workday anyway." [How many people can you do that to?]

[Um however many?]

[So it doesn't run on something that has a limited capacity, or limited fuel, or anything like that? How does addressing work? ...I mean, how does it find who should receive the messages you send?]